This invention relates to coilable structural members suitable for use as tent and other types of frame members and a method of construction thereof.
Frame members presently in use for the erection of tents and other temporary structures may or may not be collapsible. If they are not collapsible, they are often difficult to transport or to store away for future use. Often tent poles must be quite long in order to provide the necessary height to the roof of the tent. Similarly long horizontal or diagonal frame members may be necessary to erect a large or medium size tent. If the poles or frame members are constructed of wood or metal and are not collapsible, they may be quite heavy and unwieldly to transport. In addition wood is becoming increasingly more expensive and suitable light-weight metal such as aluminum or its alloys is already expensive.
If the tent pole or frame member is collapsible, it is usually collapsible at only one or two locations so that even when the pole or frame member is disassembled, relatively long and heavy segments are left which are still difficult to store or transport. In addition, it is possible for one segment to be misplaced rendering the remaining segments useless. Often the segments are fastened securely together by the use of some screws which are easy to lose.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a structural member which overcomes many of the above problems associated with previous frame members and poles and a simple, inexpensive method for constructing this structural member.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a one-piece structural member which can be coiled into a compact body by bending it in one direction in order to store or transport it and when it is to be used as a frame member, the structural member can be uncoiled by bending it in the opposite direction until the frame member is formed. The resulting frame member is relatively rigid except of course when the member is bent in the one direction by which it is coiled. The present structural member need only be fastened in such a manner that it cannot bend in this direction.
The structural member of the present invention may be constructed of inexpensive and light weight plastic materials such as polypropylene and may be produced by mass production methods. No screws or other fastening means are required to connect parts of the frame member since the structural member consists of only one main piece.
It is another object of the invention to provide a novel simple, inexpensive method of constructing a structural member of the above-mentioned type.